Shinjiru (Believe)
by dreamymee
Summary: Having enough of trying to be the perfect little heiress, Hinata jumps at the opportunity of a new mission that would send her far away from home in order to arrange her mixed emotions upon her clan. However, what she hadn't expected was for Uchicha Sasuke to be her partner throughout the whole trip. SasuxHIna.
1. Prologue: The Start Of The Mission

Another screech ran throughout the night as her fist plummeted to the big oak tree, it's wooden texture scraping across her knuckles and burning like wildfire spreading through her body. Tears stung at the back of her eyes, glinting jewels reflected into the moonlight's beam, but either she was being oblivious to the humongous gash tearing off the skin, the blood oozing out in a tantalizing liquid of lust and power, or she just didn't care. Of course she felt the pain, she was human. Humans reacted to these, humans sensed, humans had reflex, humans...had hearts.

Not her clan.

Not her sister.

And definitely not her father.

Why? Why did he always target her and her only? It frustrated her to no end. Could it be that it was only because she reminded him of her mother, with her pearly gray eyes and inky blue hair which was a feat in the Hyuuga clan? Hinata was one of the only to be gifted with this shade, even her younger sister had inherited once again, her father's genes; brown muddy hair and same grey eyes that seemed fathomless, with no bottom pit to stop them. Frankly, she scared the wits out of herself just by looking in the mirror; into this deep-set gaze that seemed to know underneath the lies and pain she lived through day after day. It was a constant reminder that even if she tried to run away, she would have nowhere to go to.  
Why? Because she was a Hyuuga.

Once a Hyuuga, you couldn't just dump your family and clan. Especially when she was supposed to be the next heiress.

However, this wasn't to be the case seeing as how much courage her father has been putting in her. Or, if she were to say, how much courage lacked from his neverending recitals about her weak abilities and yadda yadda yadda.

**Yes, Hyuuga Hinata's life sucked, with a capital S.**

The only source of comfort was Neiji, and yet he too, was as powerful as any Hyuuga could be. The epitome of perfection, he was proud of where he stood now, being a jounin. And her? What was she doing with her life, her dad would ask every evening at the kitchen table, his words stinging in the air like a bee hive has speared it's entire army throughout her skin.

"Why?..." She asked, more to herself than to the emptiness that echoed the forest. "What did i ever do wrong?"

She clenched her bloody fists, her nails digging into the soft layer of skin found in her palm. Months ago, her hands were one of the best traits she acquired to have, especially when it was the only thing she could cling on to; feminine hands, such a respect to the Hyuuga's. Why, she would never know that reason, and hell, she didn't care about it either. But now...looking down at the torn splits where red liquid seemed to pour, she regretted her decision to train harder. What had she gotten herself into? She was weak, and would alwas be. What stupid notion had crossed her mind that, one day, oh, one beautiful day..she would regain her right as first born of the Hyuuga family and take on her role that had meant to be hers from the start?

"Hinata-sama"

Gasping, she whirled around only to be met by a pair of similiar, cold grey irises, Neiji's. "N-Nii-san.."  
Neiji's silhouette was just a dark shadow from across her, the moon hiding his facial expression. She wondered briefly if he was mad that she was training at this hour, but come on, she was stronger, dependant on only herself and didn't quite need a nanny to follow her around. Hyuuga Hinata might pass as a shy, timid girl, but inside was just a turmoil of bottled up emotions that she was scared of unleashing, for fear of her father and her clan.  
No, that didn't make her a bad person, nor someone who planned revenge ultimately like Uchiha Sasuke...that just made her ...

Human.

"What are you doing training at this hour?" He cocked a brow, more amused than annoyed that the young heiress had indeed slipped out of the compound without him noticing. Although, she could sense trickles of worry embedding his pupils, which were dark and focused to wait for her reply. She gulped, rapidly clicking her thoughts into a spindled lie "I couldn't sleep"

'You should have told me" He replied instantly, frowning in concern. "Daijobudeska?"

"Hai, i-i'll be back in a f-few minutes, Neiji mii-san" Flashing him a quick, gentle smile, she tugged at her jacket sleeves and got into another fighting stance, not caring whether her already bloodied knuckles were screaming at the bones to stop hammering themselves. They were threatening to break.

"Hinata-sama, give me your hand"

"E-Eh?!" She whirled around, not thinking that he hadn't actually moved to go in when she had quite obviously given him the green signal to go and leave her alone. Her eyes drifted to the cloth he was holding in his hands, and silently, he came over to her and wrapped her knuckles up, bandaging them as softly as he could when small hisses made their way out of her mouth. She tried to be strong, she tried not to wince, and yet, the pain seemed to take the double of what she had expected.

"Are you sure you're okay Hinata-sama?"  
Stop, stop looking at me like that, she thought, her inside barrier that she had stacked so well against everyone was crumbling, and she couldn't bear to let anyone, let alone Neiji, see her real side. Her dark side, her human side.

"H-Hai" she pulled away so abruptly that Neiji's face flashed with surprise. Hinata, however, looked down at the grass under her feet, preferring to watch her scuffed shoes than the piercing gaze of her intelligent and perceptive cousin.

She finally looked up long enough to hold his gaze, making him understand through hers that she was fine, and would be back shortly after that. With a final nod, he turned to walk back inside the house, unaware of the soft, saddened gaze that seemed to fill Hinata's face the moment his back was turned. Her mind had already been made, and she wasn't about to back off from it now. Timid may she be, but once her mind has been set, there was no stopping her.  
She was going to become stronger, and show her father what she was made of.

_Beware father, you should not underestimate me. _

* * *

"H-Hokage-sama, you have requested me?"

Tsunade's head lifted to the door upon hearing the familiar stuttering tone of her subordinate, or her 'once had been' student. She smiled when she saw Hinata's face still sporting the two red patches on her cheeks, a confused but somewhat expectant look on her face. She ushered the shy girl to come in, and the latter did, closing the door softly behind her.

"Hinata, how have you been?" Tsunade smiled, it had been some time that they had talked, and truth to be told, she missed Hinata's soft, tingling voice that could soothe you in therapy in an instant.

"I-I've been fine, Hokage-sama" Hinata's fist clenched unknowingly at her side, though it had not gone ignored by the hokage, who raised her eyebrows in suspicion and half-amusement.

"Right, i hope you're free of duty today, as i have requested something from you"

Hinata's head bobbed up and down vigorously "H-Hai!"

"Suna has requested our assistance in accmpanying a certain princess to the other side of the country, where she is supposed to meet her betrothed for her marriage. As you know, they're a very powerful country, and i myself do not know the reason why they need us, especially with Gaara as Kazekage" Tsunade stretched her arms, feeling the joints pop into place and sighed blissfully. It had been another long day at work, and it was obvious the woman was in need of some sake to drown the rest of the night.

"However, we've an alliance with the sand country, and it seems very important indeed" THe Hokage propped her chin onto her hand "I want you to go to Suna, and carry out this mission Hinata"

Hinata found it very ironic how her proposition had turned out just at the right time where she was about to ask for a mission. The girl nodded, excitement filling her bones at the thought of seeing her fellow mates over there in the Sand village. "Hai, Hokage-sama!"

"demo, you'll be on a two man team and will be gone for almost 2 weeks at the latest"

"Tw-Two man?" Her eyes widened "W-Who is it?"

At that particular moment, the door behind her opened, and turning, she tried not to faint from the shock. Her heart started beating faster with embarrassment, and her breath caught in her throat. Oh god, no, she could feeel the joints in her knees wobble slightly at the effect the young man had suddenly done to her.

"Learn how to knock, Uchiha Sasuke"

* * *

**Here's the first chappie for you guys, just a prologue to set the story :) I hope you'll like it! And please leave some reviews! :D **


	2. Partners In Silence

_No, there must be a mistake! _Hinata's thoughts flew back and forth across her brain, scattered into fragments as she watched, more petrified than ever when the young Uchicha's gaze fell upon her body. _He can't possibly…I thought that he was still under house arrest! How could this be?!_ She looked back at Tsunade, who somewhat didn't seem to be aware of the problem right under her hands.

Hinata was confused, wasn't Sasuke a prisoner? He had returned to Konoha a few months ago, but that didn't mean his past errors were erased. Did he know how everyone had thrown a ruckus when they had discovered his sudden mind turn? Because of him, Sakura had been depressed for months, crying and sobbing while muffling her cries into her bed pillow. Because of him, Naruto had made this stupid promise to bring him back, endangering his life even more as he was the Nine Tail's Jinchuuriki. Because of him, the rest of the Rookie Nine had been in the greatest danger, what with rogue ninjas attacking them on their way. Her hands automatically clenched at the thought of a bloody Kiba, Akamaru lying unconsciously at his feet. Hinata wasn't one to hold grudges easily, and maybe there could be more to the eye than she might have imagined. However, the former avenger hadn't even seemed to be guilty upon his return, and that made her blood boil.

_Screw you_, she thought bitterly.

"Naruto said you needed me" Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, acting as cool as ever. Oh please, Hinata mentally rolled her eyes. She stiffened when he trailed his eyes over her body, scrutinizing her with such intensity that she found herself blossoming into a light peony pink. How dare he look at her like that!

"You might want to keep your attitude for later, brat" Tsunade smirked, leaning against her desk "I've got a mission for you"

"If it's about finding a cat, I'm out of here" His gaze darkened significantly, a lingering challenge poised in the air as it was left unsaid. How could he speak to Tsunade-sama this way? Hinata almost shook her head in disgust. Contrary to what Hinata thought the Hokage would have done –meaning breaking her table and marching over to him to grip his stupid-ass hair by his locks and throw him out of the window- her smirk grew even more across her face, and she might have imagined it, but a flicker of what might have been affection glimmered in her eyes.

"Don't worry, you've proven your worth as a servant" The Hokage sniggered at his even darker expressin "I've assigned you to a B-rank mission this time"

His expression lightened slightly, but his eyes stayed hard as steel.

"You are to go to Suna and accompany a princess to the other side of the country, where her marriage will occur. You have about two weeks to do this task, but I assume, Sasuke-kun, that you wouldn't want to linger around. Am I right?"

It was clear that the Hokage wasn't holding any grudge towards the younger Uchiha, and Hinata was perplexed. What exactly had happened for her to soften onto Sasuke?

_Don't tell me it's because of his stupid charm again,_ she thought, cringing inwardly at the idea of Tsunade fawning over him like all fangirls in this village.

"**You'll be going with Hinata**, and you start at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning"

Sasuke stilled. He wasn't one to be cooperative with teammates, and if it had been someone like Neji or Shikamaru, he would probably just have ignored them throughout the whole thing, but this was a girl, and as much as he had a certain abhorrence for them, he preferred being decent instead of receiving a bawling woman who might just blurt out any stupid thing that came to her mind just for his pride's sake.

_Well, at least it's not Sakura or Ino, _he shuddered slightly at the thought. But Hinata…Not once had he ever spoken to her. From his memory, he only just remembered a shy girl which always tagged along wherever Naruto went.

Hopefully, she was better than just being a nuisance.

"Hn" He grunted.

"You are dismissed for today" Tsunade watched both of them leave the room, Hinata pausing quietly by the side and waiting for Sasuke to pass before any awkward gestures could be exchanged when the voice of the Hokage boomed once again "Oh, and Sasuke, Hinata"

They both turned. "Hai, Tsunade-sama?" Hinata asked.

"No _funny_ business there, don't want my client getting freaked out by PDA"

Their faces were priceless. Hinata blushed beetroot red, and while the boy wasn't used to showing emotions, this was by far the most human response Tsunade had ever seen coming from the Uchiha boy. His expression was stoic, but a soft, pink layer dusted his cheeks as he abruptly turned and walked away.

She shook her head "Ara ara, I feel great things coming ahead"

* * *

Hinata was up at the crack of dawn. Not that she had slept the entire night either. Tossing and turning, the girl could just not shut out her panicking thoughts at the prospect of being alone with a murderer. A freaking murderer, she shivered, wincing. How could she trust someone like him? He killed his brother, and wanted to destroy Konoha. This was enough proof that maybe, he was just on an undercover mission and kill her on his way to Suna.

_Don't be stupid Hinata,_ she chided herself. After all, Hokage-sama trusted him, which meant that she too, had to put all negative thoughts aside and turn a fresh page.

_But what if he hates me? _

Oh shut up, she snapped at the internal voice that was just trying to set her fears into her mind again. Sasuke Uchiha would not hurt her, he would not…

_Right? _

She trudged to the bathroom without any energy left, her eyes filled with dark shades of circles that made her look all the more like a raccoon. She cringed at herself. Ew, no wonder Naruto didn't like her, she looked so pale and frail compared to the other girls. Hinata didn't have any interesting traits, not that her eyes weren't an important part of her, but they were so bland, so white, so….lacking. Compared to Sakura's pink peony that danced in the wind like a curtain, Ino's cerulean eyes that sparkled with a mischievous dazzle and Tenten's curvaceous body, she felt like a ghost. However, as much as she envied all their traits, she couldn't feel jealousy, and always loved the friendship they gave her. During the years, their camaraderie had turned out into long-lasting bonds, and no sooner had they been out of the chuunin exams that they had agreed to meet up for dinner every Friday. It had now become a habit and a smile tilted up Hinata's lips at the thought of her friends.

She was going to miss them.

Strapping her kunai pouch onto her hip, she cast a last, longing glance at her comfy, cozy room before moving out rapidly, for fear that she might just not go at all if she lingered.

Sasuke was already poised at the wall gates, his seemingly bored expresson holding nothing new to her. How ironic could it be, that the one and only thirsty killer had a face carved from beauty? Hinata did find him attractive, but somehow, the way he looked at her- his cold, fanthomless eyes that pierced through anything and everything- made her skin crawl with a foreign feeling she could not lay her hand on. Most probably, it would have been fear.

"G-good morning, S-S-Sasuke-san" she cursed her stutter. Of all days, it just had to make its appearance when she was facing danger incarnated.

He did not utter a word, but a swift turn of his head was enough of a signal to her that they should move on quickly, and she mentally rolled her eyes. Rude, she noted as he walked along the dirt path swiftly, not sparing her a glance. Not that she minded, she preferred seeing those obsidian orbs directed somewhere else other than her.

"The princess is waiting for our arrival in two days"

Her head whirled towards him, her ears not having processed his exact words when her mind mulled over the dark, velvet voice that seemed to linger with a touch of mysterious aura. Somehow, with it being morning and all, his voice sounded deep and coarse, deeper than she had imagined it to be from yesterday.

She gulped in fright when his eyes settled on hers "Did you hear what I said?"

"E-Eh? S-Sumimasen, I wasn't p-paying attention" She excused herself while lowering her eyes bashfully to the ground. Great, just the time for him to think that she was a completely useless stuttering idiot.

"The princess is waiting for us to arrive in Suna in two days" He watched her reaction carefully, but her eyes flew everywhere but at him. Avoidance was clear for the perceptive Uchiha, and he pressed his lips into a thin, tensed line. _She doesn't trust me_, he rejoiced bitterly. _How sweet. _

"H-Hai, S-Sasuke-san!" she bowed.

Whatever, he attempted to resist from rolling his eyes, and continued on his rapid pace. She quickly trudged behind him, not daring to even walk near him.

Hinata sighed, _this was going to be a long mission._

* * *

The sun rose quickly ahead of them, and in a blink of an eye, the day was over. They decided in mutual agreement that they had covered enough distance for the day. Sasuke would have never admitted it, but he was as tired as the Hyuuga Heiress. Taking a look at his companion, he watched her flushed face and her soft breaths that were cooling her down. Her eyes, although tired by today's walk, still had a childish glow in them that made it seem like it was the first time she was discovering the world.

He almost snorted, _please.  
_He had to admit though, that for a ninja, it was pretty peculiar.

She was twisting a flower with her fingers, watching in awe as the wind blew the soft pollen away. How had she survived through the Ninja war, Sasuke was still left speechless. He was pretty of her having seen people dying in front of her very eyes, and yet, she seemed so unaffected by everything, almost like she was lost in her own bubble of happiness, one that nobody could claim.

_Weirder and weirder_, he told himself, shaking his head.

They ate in silence, the awkward atmosphere no longer surrounding them. Hinata knew Sasuke wasn't one to talk, and she wasn't that lively either, so they just sat there, staring wordlessly at the forest beyond them.

"S-Sasuke-san?"

_So she speaks_, he smirked inwardly, turning his head and looking at her with his pokerfaced expression.

She seemed to think for a moment, and Sasuke's mask dropped momentarily. Is she serious? Taking all her sweet time…He wasn't infuriated howver, and still kept an ear cocked her way if ever she was to finish her question.

She breathed out softly "Nevermind"

Somewhat disappointed, he turned back to gaze at the darkness, somehow finding comfort in the only thing he found similar to him. After all, he had killed many innocent lives, he shouldn't feel so proud of himself just to have avenged his brother.

'Go to sleep, I'll watch over" He ordered, keeping his eyes fixated on nothingness even when he felt the girl beside him fidgeting quietly. Knowing that she was going to ask a queston which she wasn't daring to voice out, he snapped 'what?'

She flinched at the sudden harshness in his tone, and bit her lip "A-ano…aren't y-you going t-to sleep?"

"That's none of your business" He coldly replied. He regretted it a second later when he saw, out of his peripheral vision, her stature shrink lightly on itself. He pressed his fingers to his temple, rubbing it to soothe the headache that he felt coming. "just sleep"

Hinata gulped, and without another word, drew out her blanket and found comfort in the soft bark of a tree trunk, a few feet away from where Sasuke sat, as alert as a panther. The words he said earlier resounded in her head, and she sighed softly. Surely, he found it idiotic enough that he wasn't going to get even a small blink of sleep? Even a good ninja like him needed some rest.

She sighed again, and got up. She had packed a spare blanket after all.

Sasuke was about to turn on his sharingan when he felt a warm, soft blanket drape of his back. Mildly surprised, he didn't mask away his widened eyes and the perplexed look that settled upon his features. If it had been someone else, Hinata would have giggled, for for an instant, he seemed as innocent as a child.

"Y-You might g-get cold" She murmured, turning to leave, but not before hearing a distinct grunt of thanks 'hn'.

A soft smile etched onto her face, and she sighed, burrowing her nose deeper into the blanket_. Maybe he isn't that bad after all,_ she thought sleepily, before darkness enveloped her into it's friendly embrace.

* * *

**UPDATE!:D how did you find this one? Sorry for the typos by the way..:s Have fun reading, and please leave some reviews :) 3 **


	3. Arrival in Sunagakure

Apparently, the Uchiha prodigy hadn't had a wink of sleep last night. Or that's what Hinata deduced from his permanent glare that had greeted her and almost threatened to terrify her out of her wit's end this morning when she woke from sleep, making a squeal edge out at the corner of her lips. Blushing for the incessant noise that seemed inappropriate in this situation, she had gotten up to bow down multiple times profusely, as if she was about to face her father's wrath. This, on the other hand, instead of pacifying Sasuke, brought up the intensity of his now horrible looking scowl that wasn't anywhere from slipping off his features. Well, it hadn't been her fault for his lack of sleep, could he really blame her? She too, could be cranky when she happened to lack some rest, but that didn't mean she took out her frustrations on the people surounding her. Or rather. she couldn't take out her frustrations on the people surrounding her.

Her dad might probably kill her in an instant, but not before spending 1 hour reciting the good-for-nothing laws as to why it was rude to act so to someone of older age.

She winced slightly when his sharingan-filled orbs snapped her way, and averted her gaze instantly. The murderous look etched on his face was hard to miss, especially when it came to glare full on on one's body. They had been walking for the past six hours, and Hinata could faintly identify the silhouettes masked by the whirlwinds of soft, damp sanding weaving into her hair and stinging the back of her eyes. They were nearly there, if only they could go at a faster pace, just to get rid of the awkward atmosphere that now lingered in the air. But she knew that Sasuke would have already been settled inside his room by now, if not for her. She had always been reminded of being a burden, but now, the contrast between her and the avenger startled her even more; how much she lacked in terms of power and stealth, compared to Sasuke, she was probably just moon dust.

"S-Sasuke-san?" She stuttered softly upon seeing the said boy scowl at the ground.

Without a word, he directed his scowl at her, but without his sharingan activated.

Hinata gulped the bile that was tickling the back of her throat "Are y-you...okay?"

"Hn. " He paused, and somehow, she waited because she knew he hadn't finished his usually one-syllabled sentences "Why do you ask?"

"A-Ano..." She clenched her hands into fists to stop her fingers poking together. She really had to get a control over her old habits that made her all the more powerless against enemies "Y-You seem a-annoyed by s-something"

He raised a brow, the scowl momentarily disappearing. Him scrutinising her wasn't any better though, and she squealed softly, looking away in attempt to hide the rising blood that was threatening to blossom onto her cheeks.

"Hn, worry about yourself" He stated coldly.

The Hyuuga Heiress tried not to flinch back at his harsh words, having known exactly the message that meant 'back off, i don't want to speak to you' since she had had similar moments with her older cousin. She murmured an incoherent apology, trailing her eyes up to the muscular back of the raven-haired ninja, wondering exactly what was going on through that pretty little head of his. _How much weight is this back carrying around?_ She thought dismally. _How does it feel to be him?_ His expression was always stoic, his eyes expressionless and his face as blank as a fresh sheet of paper. It was just a mask, she knew that. It was impossible for someone to be left without even a single feeling in his heart, and there were times that she swore that a flicker of unreadable pain reflected in those onyx orbs.

No, Hinata wasn't one of his fangirls that would stalk him all day, but she was just concerned. Hinata cared for everybody, it was in her nature to be protective and motherly. People found it annoying at first, but then slowly accepted her as she was. She hoped that Uchiha Sasuke would be the same and understand, even though they didn't know each other that well.

If her Byakugan hadn't been activated, she would have had been killed in an instant. Seeing a kunai zoom towards her at a high velocity, she ducked swiftly, watching as the kunai hit the tree behind her with a_ thud_! Alert and snapping out of her thoughts, she instinctively met with the young Uchiha's back as her eyes scanned the envirronment.

"They're hiding with sand. Two to the east, three to the west" She whispered firmly, not stuttering for once. If Sasuke had been anyone else, he would have been shocked, but his face didn't give anything away as he replied back "Got it"

Hinata swiftly grabbed a kunai from her pouch, propelling it with her fist to some point where the nuzzle buried it's tip in the sand. Immediately, the explosive scroll blasted sand around then, and with a satisfied _boom!_ She saw some village thieves coughing out thes scrapy substance. It was made clear that they weren't even ninjas, due to the fact that their concealing was found to be stupid and shallow.

"What do you want?" Sasuke icily asked.

She would have been scared out of her wits in the thieve's places.

"We've..."We've come to rob you!" One of the confident ones stepped up with a greasy grin. His eyes swept up and down Hinata's form hungrily, like a beast scrutinising it's prey. "Not bad" He clucked his tongue.

Embarrassment bloomed onto Hinata's face in the form of a blush, and she gritted her teeth together. How dare he look at her like a piece of food?!

"Idiot" Sasuke commented dryly. Apparently, he too, had noticed the lust-filled gazes of the rogues, and activated his sharigan.

"Die."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Sasuke finished off the last thief with a slam at the back of his neck, causing the poor man to topple over and moan as he fell to the ground, unconscious. He turned in time only to see Hinata knock over the last of them, the one who had commented on wanting her body. He got thrusted back, coughing up sand as he choked on his own blood that spilled from his lips, tainting the soft, golden texture of the ground.

Hinata watched, satisfied. She wasn't one for violence, and she hated killing people. Never had she done something so extreme as to injure someone as badly as this, but the bastard had started it, eyeing her like she was some kind of peace offering of some sort. She inwardly scoffed, men would always be the same. At least the boys in her village were decent enough so as not to act like bloodthirsty mutts.

_Gomene, Akamaru_, she thought sheepishly, knowing that if the dog had been here, he would have growled at the comment she had thought about insulting dogs.

Turning, she looked away instantly when she realized that Sasuke had been watching her all this time, but not before seeing a look of satisfaction cross his face. Seeing something other than his blank mask left her surprised. It felt refreshing to see some other feeling playing over his pale complexion.

Not a word left his lips, but when her gaze locked on his for a fleeting moment, his eyes seemed to say '_good one, Hyuuga'. _

She smiled.

* * *

"Kazekage-sama? The shinobi you have requested have arrived"

Gaara's eyes flickered towards Kankuro, and he nodded. "Send them in" He ordered passively, not taking his gaze off the view of the city he was now ruling. How ironic, that the people that now worshipped him like a god had called him all sorts of names just because of the beast that had been sealed within his body. Gaara hadn't asked for this to happen, and his heart had always, still is, yearning for something he knew he'd never have; love. Love was a powerful word, but it described exactly what the woman had given him; affection, tenderness, soft embraces...he remembered it like it was yesterday.

His trail of thought broke off at the sound of the door closing, and without turning his back, a soft smirk tilted his lips. Ah, the famous Uchiha that had once been an enemy.

"Uchiha, Hinata-san" He greeted. People would think him as rude when he never turned around to look at them, but throughout the years, the Hyuuga heiress had learned that Gaara wasn't someone in the need of eyes on him. Feeling them was enough to know that they were listening, because the red-haired Kazekage never wanted his gaze to leave the landscape he had been admiring for hours, he didn't want to miss a single thing.

He was that attentive, and the soft-spoken kunoichi respected that.

"You have arrived earlier than expected. I was expecting you to be here by tomorrow" Gaara's eyes shifted to the building at the far end of his peripheral vision. "As expected of one of the best shinobis"

"How have you been, Hinata-san?" Finally, aquamarine eyes turned to meet her lavender ones, who crinkled softly as she smiled. "I've b-been fine, Gaara-kun"

Gaara-Kun? Sasuke's eyebrow arched, noticing the affectionate exchange. Since when had they been so close? He couldn't help but wonder.

"Your stuttering has improved greatly" Gaara tilted his head "Uchiha-san. Nice to see you back in Konoha"

'Hn." Onyx eyes met aquamarine blue as Gaara finally turned to cast him a glare that didn't intend to hide the distaste in his eyes. However, the kazekage surprised them with a small smirk of his own while clasping his hands behind his back. "The princess has been impatient to meet you"

"E-eh?" Hinata let a stutter leave her lips.

"She's a hard nut to crack, and her behaviour is close to that of a bratty child's" Gaara gazed at Sasuke intently when he said the next sentence, making sure that the avenger would hear and take his precautions. With a princess, you never knew what might happen. After all, they were indeed, royalty "Don't give her too much attention. She might take it the wrong way"

"W-what do you mean by that, G-Gaara-kun?" Hinata asked, obviously not getting the fact that the world wasn't just filled with unicorns and butterflies with happy ever afters, like naive girls would think.

The kazekage was about to speak when a knock on the door resounded, making all three shinobi turn to watch the figure emerging from it. Kankuro brought in what was supposed to be the princess, but Hinata couldn't distinguish anything apart from the dark cloak that hid her face into it;s shadows, and wondered briefly if she was as pretty as people made her out to be. Gaara cleared his throat and gestured towards the said person.

"Sasuke, Hinata, this is Miyuki-sama, the princess of the Sand country. Please treat her well"

With a flick of her head, the cape fell off to reveal a petite, pale face that glowed with perfect, milky skin. Hinata could only saw in awe, jaw slack as she watched the aquamarine blue eyes of the princess dart from her to Sasuke, orbs of watercolor that seemed to reflect the sky's light. Her long, blonde hair fell in waves around her body, a cascade of spin-wheeled gold that shone with the reflection of the sunlight.

She was magnificent, Hinata noted, feeling self-conscious by the minute.

The princess narrowed her eyes at Hinata, and turned towards Gaara. "I told you i wanted two male shinobi" Her voie definitely didn't match her appearrance. Loud and screeching like a parrot bird, Hinata knew exactly what Gaara meant by bratty child.

* * *

**HEYA! C; DID YOU GUYS LIKE THIS ONE? MEET THE PRINCESS. MORE DETAIL WILL COME LATER ABOUT HER BACKGROUND, BUT NEXT CHAPTER WILL FEATURE MORE SASUHINA, I PROMISE! THE ADVENTURE STARTS NOW! 3 **

**THANKS FOR READING, AND PLEASE LEAVE SOME REVIEWS 3 LOVE YA! **


	4. Getting Acquainted

Chapter 3

"I told you I wanted two male shinobi!" The princess gritted her teeth, almost as if grating it against her lower jaw as she continued proceeding exactly what she was seeing in front of her. Hinata blinked, _two male shinobi? Why?_ Pain suddenly filled her heart, and she clenched her hands against her sides, her knuckles turning white from the pressure. She felt a trickle of blood down the side of her knuckle, but that was nothing compared to what scars this royalty had opened up in her heart. _Was she not good enough? Not strong enough? Not capable enough?_ She was a shinobi, someone that battled and sacrificed their lives for the ones they wanted to protect, and yet, Miyuki wasn't even accepting her services. Her father's voice reprimanded her in her mind, taunting her uselessly with sharp words as she recalled the numerous times she had been insulted by Hyuug Hiashi, only to be protected by her beloved cousin.

But Neji wasn't there to protect her anymore, and she couldn't count on him her whole life.

Gaara's unseen brow shot up "Hinata-san is one of the best female ninja Konoha has to offer, and yet you're still not satisfied?"

"I don't want a useless girl tagging along!" Miyuk narrowed her eyes at the Hyuuga girl, scrutinizing her appearance and snorting at her pale, fanthomless eyes that freaked the hell out of her, and her nun-like hair that made her seem like a good student. All in all, Miyuki instantly held distaste for the female shinobi.

"I'm sure she isn't as useless as you"

Hinata's head whipped around to see Sasuke, his cold pokerface overriding his features, and his arms crossed like the matter of the debate had been closed. He raised a dark, raven brow at the infuriated princess "You don't need to like her. She could kill you in a heartbeat, so guess who's going to die in the end?"

Hinata was shocked that the young Uchiha had even pened his mouth to speak, much less to speak in her defense, as if protecting her like Kiba or Neji would when people would throw knives of insult at her. Sasuke wasn't one to show his emotions, and neither did he ever defend anyone since his coming back to Konoha, but Hinata's body suddenly filled with relief when the spoilt brat looked down, a layer of rose spreading over her cheeks.

Gaara hid his growing smirk. _Things were indeed getting interesting. Since when had Sasuke become so protective?_ He ushered Kankuro to bring the worn-out and tired Konoha shinobis to their rooms, and sighed at the sight of a crestfallen Miyuki.

"Hime-sama, what Sasuke has said is true. Whether you like it or not, Hinata-san will be your escort throughout the journey"

* * *

Pearly eyes gazed at their own reflection, the girl puzzled over her thoughts. As soon as they had entered their rooms, an awkward tension had filled the room. Willing to escape this, she had fleeted to the bathroom, and was now drying her hair with a towel. Sure, she was used to sharing a room with Kiba or Shino during missions, but Sasuke was another story. She barely knew him for god's sake, what if something happened and he turned onto her back? _After all, he had done it once, he could do it again if he wished._ She would have been sure about this concrete idea if not for him having protected her from the royal princess's vicious words that struck her heart, like needles punched into a wounded patch of skin. _Why? Why did he do that?_ She thought aimlessly, trying, searching for anything that might make sense. As much as she wanted to know, Uchiha Sasuke was exactly like her dear cousin, and it would take more than two days to know how the young avenger's mind processed.

She sighed and raked a hand through her partly dried hair, frizzing her fringe as she went. Opening the door that lead to their small, two-men room, she instantly caught sight of the raven-haired man. Her eyes glued to the floor, suddenly finding the pattern much more interesting than his deep, mysterious onyx orbs.

"Y-You can use the b-bathroom now, S-Sasuke-san" She murmured, seating herself onto her own bed across from his. He merely nodded and got up.

As he brushed past her, she was faced with a whiff of his boyish odor, and she had to admit that it smelt really good. Well, all boys did smell good, she admitted secretively. Kiba smelt really good too, but Sasuke had another additional thing that made his scent…him.

He took less than five minutes to bathe himself, and he sat across from her on his own bed, staring at nothingness like she was just an object in the room. She was scared of asking him about his weird behavior earlier on, but finally grabbed the courage with her two hands.

"S-Sasuke-san…ano…" She started, looking down at the floor when his eyes shifted to her face.

"What?"

She flinched involuntarily "A-ano…t-thank you f-for earlier"

"hn"

"A-Ano.." She bit her lip. How exactly was she supposed to face the question?

"What is it?" He snapped, annoyed by her stuttering. _That woman needs speech therapy_, he inwardly rolled his eyes.

"G-Gomen..d-demo, w-why…" She sighed "Why d-did you protect me, b-back there?"

He regarded her in silence, and she inwardly squirmed.

"You're annoying" He replied after a long moment of silence. Another jab made way to her heart, but she forced herself to ignore the prickle of tears in her eyes. She was so weak.

If she hadn't looked up at that particular moment to guess exactly what Sasuke was implying, she would have missed the coat of pink that sprinkled his cheeks as he gazed out of the window, trying to seem unaffected by her questioning.

She couldn't help but giggle. His head snapped back to hers, scowling. "What?"

His pink tint was still present "N-nothing" She smiled secretively.

"Hn' He turned back to the window, mulling over his thoughts. _She does have a sweet smile;_ a thought crossed his brain absentmindedly. He shook his head, _must be tired. _

* * *

_"Gomene Sasuke" Itachi smiled at him "It's over now" _

_His last words rang inside the younger Uchiha's mind as he felt his brother's body sag against his. With a frustrated cry, he watched the sky, praying the heavens exactly what he had done wrong to deserve this cruelty, this unfairness. _

_"Nii-san!" He croaked "Nii-san, Itachi nii-san…please…"_

_"Please don't leave me!" _

_"Nii-san!"_

_"Sasuke-san!" _

_"Sasuke-san?!"_

"Sasuke-san, wake up, please!" Black spots slowly dissolved from his vision, leaving him staring with panicked breath at the female kunoichi that wore a concerned expression on her face. He now noted that she was gripping his shoulders tightly, and that her breath was fanning his face with a sweet, foregin scent that reminded him of something familiar.

"Sasuke-san, daijoubu?" She asked softly.

"What-" He croaked before a glass quickly met his dry, chapped lips. "Drink" She ordered softly "You w-were having a nightmare, I think"

"Hn" He turned his head away when the cup was removed, ashamed by how easily he had let his guard down with that woman around. This was shameful, the fact that she had found him crying like a baby made his face burn with mortification, but knowing Sasuke, he coolly turned his back on her and tried ignoring the kicked-puppy look she gave him, or rather, his back.

"Go back to sleep" He said, staring at the wall. He heard an audible sigh, before the neighboring bed sagged under the kunoichi's weight as she snuggled into her own blanket.

_Funny,_ he thought, _how did she know my lips were dry?_

* * *

They had woken up at dawn the next day, and had set out early as their arrival was due within five days. Knowing Sasuke, he would have arrived there in two, but since the princess was with them, he couldn't press her energy for fear that she might faint. He had ignored his partner's pointed looks as they had packed, trying to block the concerned and worried gazes she was aimig at him, all the while cursing himself for having let his guard down. He shouldn't have let her seen what was going on with him, how his nightmares of his now dead brother haunted him inside his dreams. Now, he felt as vulnerable as a prey standing in front of it's predator.

"Sasuke-kunnnn"

_Urgh, let's not forget the brat_, he swore to himself.

He turned to Miyuki "What?"

"I'm tireeeed~" She pouted, trying to make cute faces at the stoic-expressional shinobi. He merely raised an amused brow at her female antics, and scoffed "So?"

"What so? I'm tired alreadyyy~ Can't you carry me?"

" Hinata can carry you" He curtly replied, jumping swiftly through the trees to avoid any pointed glances Hinata might send his way for having said that. Not that he cared what she _thought_, but he found it a burden to be pinned down by her stare, especially her's.

A soft exhale left Hinata's lips "Come on, Miyuki-sama" She smiled and bent down in front of the girl.

The princess scoffed "Do you seriously think I'll climb onto your back? I'd rather ride a turtle"

Hinata's teeth clenched, her jaw working "Well, it's either t-this or n-nothing at all"

The princess groaned once more in frustration, but let her weight fall onto Hinata's so suddenly that the girl would have keeled over if not for the muscular chest blocking her fall. Hinata's face smashed into Sasuke's hard chest while muscular hands held her shoulders steady, and she looked up with a sudden flush burning her cheeks as her jaw went slack. _He_ was _so close_ she smelt his cologne. "G-gomen!" She squeaked.

"Daijoubu?" He asked sternly. She was once again, surprised at his concern, but nodded anyway, not trusting her voice.

"Stop burdening us" Sasuke glared at the royalty "We need to get to the Snow Country in time for your marriage"

Miyuki cringed against the Uchiha's dark eyes. "H-hai."

Hinata swiftly followed Sasuke's footsteps through the trees, becoming more and more perplexed by the minute with the young Uchiha's actions. _What exactly was going on through his mind?_ If he didn't care, he wouldn't have come to her rescue and restrain her from falling. If he hadn't been there, her face would have been a decoration of grass and mud. _So the Uchiha did have feelings behind that cold face of his, even though he rarely showed them._ From Sakura's and Ino's opinions, Sasuke could care less if they got hurt or not, by their previous missions together, but Hinata wasn't finding it like that at all. On the contrary, it was the second time he had saved her, this time physically. _Uchiha Sasuke, I wonder where is the real you hiding_, Hinata thought while watching his broad back soar through the trees like a graceful panther. A small smile curved her lips upwards upon remembering his naïve and scared face last night. His look was one of complete vulnerability, and she knew it was one of the times the Uchiha had let his guard down completely, due to his dream, or rather nightmare.

_It was actually cute how he was trying to reach for something_, she mused upon the way his hands had reached out like a newborn baby's. Obviously, she hadn't mentioned any detail to Sasuke, for fear that he might completely ignore her after that just because of his stupid male pride.

Could it be that he was just misunderstood? Maybe he wasn't that cold, she told herself.

"Stop lagging behind, Hinata"

_Okay well, I take back my words_, she rolled her eyes inwardly. "Hai"

* * *

"We are resting here for the night. We'll continue tomorrow" The Uchiha announced as they entered an inn. Of course, the princess being the brat she was, had requested a full room to herself, and even had the stupidly idiotic guts to ask Sasuke if he desired to share her room. the boy had merely spared her a glance "Shut up, you're annoying"

Huffing, she had retired to her room, leaving the two ninjas alone with the landlady. She smiled at them sweetly, a key in her hand as she led them to a room right across from Miyuki's. "Here you go"

"A-arigatou" Hinata bowed, smiling timidly. The landlady only chuckled, waving her her thanks with a wave of her hand "Daijoubu! After all, it's not every day that we have such a young couple visiting over here"

"A-ano," Hinata's face blossomed with pink "W-w're not-" Sasuke's arm instantly wove around her waist, pressing her into his muscular chest. She gasped upon feeling the chiseled abs against her back, and her blush only worsened "Hai" He said.

"You two are really cute! I'll leave you to it then!" The lady squealed and hurriedly walked down the hall, leaving the two in an awkward position, or so Hinata thought. She jumped out of his arms the instant the landlady had turned her back, and stared, surprised at the unfazed avenger.

"W-Why did you d-do that?!" She tried sounding stern, but instead of her question coming out with an impact, it was merely above a whimper.

He raised a brow "she won't get suspicious of us" He passed her into their room like he had done nothing wrong, when Hinata was thinking the processed thought over and over again. _He touched me, it' almost called a backhug. It was supposed to be Naruto-kun, how dare he_, she clenched her hands against her sides.

She stomped into their room, anger filling her pearly white eyes as they directed themselves towards the culprit.

"What?" He watched her with a bored expression.

Her decision to vent her anger out on him faltered "A-Ano..d-don't do that again!" She squeaked with determination, eyes glued to the ground.

He looked at her, amused "Hn?"

"Y-You can't d-do t-t-t-that"

He sidled over to her, and cupped her chin harshly with his dextered fingers, his eyes hard and as cold as stone. "Why?"

"B-Because.." She bit her lip, hating the way her blush intensified when he was as close to touching her. "B-Because it's i-improper"

'hn. Annoying"

And there we go, Cold Sasuke was back.

* * *

**HOW WAS IT?:D it's official, SasuHina action has just started, heheheeeeeeee :D...Hope you had fun reading as much as i had writing this scene. Review and Follow!3 thanks to all of those who did review my story, forever thankful :D 3**


	5. Wise Choices

It hadn't even been two days, and yet the young Hyuuga girl was already sick of her partner's sick attitude. She had stomped away with the small dignity she had left when he let go of her chin, and somehow, she had felt tingles jolt from his calloused fingers right down to the tip of her toes, and she concluded that it was from fear of the Uchiha. He hadn't spoken to her since, keeping that quiet, expressionless pokerface during her whereabouts around the room, looking and tracing every furniture of the small lodge with her keen, white eyes.

The old, courteous lady had been kind enough to make them dinner, and as they sat in the dining area, Hinata glared at Sasuke with her wide eyes, trying to make the boy feel the intensity of her anger that she couldn't vent out from her body. Having lived in the Hyuuga compound, one of the main principles of life of Hyuugas was to control your emotions, and by god, Hinata was good at that.

"I'm glad you two stopped for the night" the landlady rambled on as she set three cups of porridge onto their table. Hinata bowed and murmured her thanks; Sasuke grunted his reply and the princess sniffed at the clear, pasty liquid with floating UFO's that seemed to be contaminated with a dreadful disease. "I mean, it's not everyday that we get honeymoon couples stopping to rest here. It's quite a shabby place"

Hinata felt her face heat up "A-ano-"  
She had to clear the matter up, no matter what. No way was she going to comply with whatever the raven-haired ninja had planned. But before she could open her mouth, Miyuki choked on her porridge, coughing violently and flapping around for a glass of water.

"C-Couple?!" She rasped after having taken a gulp.

"Why dear, you're her sister. Obviously you would know" The lady furrowed her brows in a concerned frown.

"A-ano, she's n-not my sister" Hinata stuttered.

"Oh!" The employer took a good glance between the two of them, "Of course, I should've known. You two look nothing alike"

"W-what do you mean by couple?! They're not a-" Sasuke kicked the princess subtly under the table, earning a hot glare from the latter as she fumed silently. What did they mean by couple?

"They're not related." He stated clearly.

"Oh well, have fun on your honeymoon you two!" And she turned on her heel to tend to other customers. Hinata was horrified, looking at Sasuke with terror in her eyes. He had just said the impossible in front of Miyuki! Why would he do that?! It was clear how the princess worshipped the land he walked on; much like Sakura and Ino. But now, Hinata was certain that the royalty wouldn't hesitate to make the rest of her life as hellish as possible. Even now, she felt the hot, white stare of the Sand betrothed while she glowered red in silence.

"What do you mean,'couple?!' She spat out the moment the lady was out of earshot.

"It is none of your concern" Sasuke replied flatly.

"But-How-Since when?!" She spluttered "This cannot be! I mean-" Casting a look at Hinata, the Hyuuga heiress suddenly felt bland and colorless compared to the driven, beautiful and curvaceous Miyuki. Of course, she had learnt to accept and obtain blows of the gun silently, not saying a word and zipping her lips shut until she had reached the safe sanctuary of the place she calls her room. hinata wasn't a fool; she wasn't beautiful or outstanding like other girls, but a feeling of jealousy sprinkled upon her heart at the view of Miyuki's angelic face. Life's not fair, her hands clenched together against the material of her ninja shirt, why? Why me?

I hate it.

"What?" Sasuke shot back sharply. His onyx orbs were challenging her cereulean ones in a mental battle.

"Well, you could totally do better! I mean, for instance, there's me-" "**Urusai (Shut Up)**" Sasuke didn't even let her finish her phrase

Miyuki blinked "Oi, don't you dare shut me up-"

"You're annoying."

Her jaw dropped.

For once, Hinata heaved a sigh of relief. Relief that at least, that cold Uchiha didn't have a heart carved out of stone.

Little did she know, that underneath all of it, he was slowly melting.

* * *

Sasuke watched the stars glitter, emitting a translucent silver light that seemed to bring out the night sky's beauty. One of his main hobbies was to stargaze while mulling over his jumbled up thoughts.

He had never talked as much as he had in those two passing days, neither had he acted so out of character. Talking to his female companion was inevitable, but the back hug, his fingers holding _her _chin at a close proximity from his face, him defending _her_ honor and dignity during dinner…..that was weird, even for Sasuke. _What's happening to me? _He thought as he ran a frustrated hand through his raven locks, wincing as he came across a particular tough know that had tangled up his fingers.

He growled in annoyance, he wasn't becoming _soft_ now, was he?

_You're an avenger Sasuke. You killed many innocent lives. Stop trying to turn yourself into a saint,_ he pep-talked himself.

As much as he tried pushing that thought away, pearly white eyes seemed to reflect in anything he looked at. Even the stars seemed to form the shape of the Hyuuga heiress's pale irises, and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to blank out his memory like had done numerous times before to shut himself off from his brother's death, only this time for another matter entirely.

**_Follow your heart, Sasuke. _**

_Eh?_ His head snapped up, suddenly alert. He thought he had heard someone say something.

_Sasuke, don't betray your own want. _

_Who's there?_ He thought, panic rising at the back of his throat.

_There are other feelings other than hate and betrayal._ At once, everything seemed to vanish, and the familiar croak of frogs filled his eardrums.

_Weird. _

* * *

They set out earlier than expected, and were now on their way to a nearby village not far from the snow country. As they walked, Hinata and Miyuki would be in front, the young kunoichi using her byakugan frequently in attempt to spot any attackers or ambushers, while Sasuke would keep up the rear, using his sharingan only once in a while and trusting his own five instincts instead. He wasn't, after all, a genius for nothing.

The sun beat down on their necks, but the cool, soothing caresses of the breeze slithering through their hair and clothes made up for the hot temperature. Because of it, Hinata's fringe clung to her forehead, her trying to push it away only to see it coming back down in front of her face, hanging limply and soaked with sweat. Ew, she shuddered inwardly.

"Are you really dating?"

Miyuki's voice snapped her out of her daze-like state, and the Hyuuga girl blinked, coloring furiously. Why was she even embarrassed by it? They weren't even a couple for god's sake! But the remembrance of his touch was still as clear as crystal water.

"A-Ano" Hinata was at loss. Sasuke had reproached her not to tell anything to the princess, as he wanted their cover to be perfect. Obviously, it had been for professional reasons that they had agreed to this particular treaty. However, that didn't mean it wasn't affection Hinata in the least. After all, she had never had a boyfriend.

The young female ninja sighed in defeat, nodding silently.

"So it's true" Surprisingly, Miyuki's voice didn't hold any spite or jealousy. Surprised, Hinata narrowed her eyes at the Suna heir. Could it be that Miyuki wasn't holding any grudge against her because of this? Sasuke was a handsome man, she wouldn't be surprised if Myuki was already head over heels for him, even though she was supposedly betrothed to another.

"You guys don't seem like a couple though" the princess's curiousity spiked "You guys don't even hold hands"

If Hinata had been blushing before, she looked like an overripe tomato now. "A-Ano, w-well, S-Sasuke-san i-isn't like tha-"

A hand caught hers in midsentence.

Gasping, the young Hyuuga looked up, her white orbs glistening in fear. Sasuke, she instinctively reeled back in her mind. But contrary to his cold demeanor and asshole attitude, his touch was gentle, just a soothing caress of his thumb along her trembling knuckles. Pearly eyes met onyx, mild curiosity casted over her pupil. She seemed to be casting him a silent message: _What do you think you're doing?!_ Her eyes were panicked, her breathing coming out in shallower pants, and her lips drawn in a thin, tight line of tension. If it had been someone else, Sasuke would have been disgusted of even being in 1 metre radius from them, much less touching them. However, Hinata was different, Hinata _felt_ different. Her soft skin against his calloused fingers was as soft as a dove's, white and pure.

"is that enough proof to you?" Sasuke asked the royal highness. She 'hmmph'ed and rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to be guarding the back. What are you doing, listening in on a girl's conversation?" She sneered.

"Hn."

"Don't 'hn.' me! And for all I know, anyone can hold hands" Miyuki scowled at the raven-haired avenger.

He suddenly let go of her hand, and Hinata instantly knew something was wrong. Activating her byakugan, she caught sight of two unfamiliar figures hiding through the foliage of the woods. She took in a breath, "Sasuke-san"

"Yeah. Only them?" He cast a look around. The female kunoichi swept her chakra-filled eyes over the perimeter, and nodded. "Hai"

"Got it." They instantly took their positions, surrounding the only Suna girl. Hinata crouched, trying to detect exactly the nature of their chakra. She received none, and frowned. How can that be? Are they taijutsu ninjas, just like Lee? She thought dismally. Unlike the thieves from before, the two shinobi approached them with an eerie calmness to their step that sent her skin hairs on edge. She thought that they must be strong enough to face them full on if their faces didn't even show alertness, but more amused smirks like this was a good prank.

"What do you want?" Sasuke spoke harshly, his sharingan already activated as he glared passively at the two strangers. Both of them chuckled, and their entertained sounds caused Sasuke's annoyance to heighten, although he kept his face intact from any interior conflict of emotions. Hinata, sensing his fluctuating chakra, quickly placed a soft, timid hand onto his arm, murmuring a "calm down, S-Sasuke-san"

He instinctively relaxed.

"What do we want?" The bigger one chortled with muffled laughter, his muscles flexing under his thin, greyish shirt that seemed to have not seen the light for weeks. It was full of dirt and mud, and what appeared to have been dried blood. The Hyuuga heiress shuddered in part disgust, and fear. "We want the princess"

"Like hell." And the Uchiha leaped instantly.

Hinata quickly crouched in front of the princess when the second rogue nin landed swiftly in front of her with catlike grace. His purple, amethyst eyes gleamed with a sort of maliciousness that held hate and thirst. Thirst for blood to be shed. Her blood.

"Little girl, move out of the way before I do it with my fist" He snarled, one hand strapped upon his back for his sword. She ignored the snakelike shiver of fear that crawled under her skin, and prepared herself to release her jutsu, already memorizing the weakest chakra ponts of the opponent. For once, she was glad of having Neji train her. If not for him, she would still have been a stupid weakling with no other good.

Not that she was expertedly powerful, but when it came to defense, she was as ready as she'll ever be.

"I won't give her over to you" Her voice, for once, held none of that stutter. Instead, it rang out clear and bold, a cute mewly kitten turned into a ferocious tiger.

"Fine, if that's how you want it" Smirking, the bandit slashed at the air with his sword, and she leapt back, murmuring soft instructions to Miyuki "Miyiki-sama, do not leave my side"

The younger girl nodded. Hinata turned just in time to avoid the slashing of his chakra-filled sword, twisting on her heel and jabbing he palm into his back. The impact sent him flying to the ground face first. _One chakra point down,_ she told herself firmly, watching the opponent get on his feet again and lung himself at her. Dodging his fast jabs and swipes, she thanked her heavens for being quick enough to dodge his attacks, slamming her fingers into another weak chakra point.

He yelped in pain, growling with his eyes narrowed in a glare at the young kunoichi.  
"Hinata, get Miyuki out of here!"

Sasuke, she turned, stunned. What?

"At this rate, we'll never be able to reach the snow country in time" Her chef landed next to her as flawlessly as a panther, his shoulder brushing hers softly, a soft crinkle of the material. "We need to get her out of here. Go to our next destination. I'll be there shortly"

"D-Demo Sasuke-san-" He interrupted her attempt at a protest "Get her out. It's an order, **Hinata**"

She bit her lip. "H-Hai"

Quickly slinging the petrified princess on her back, the young heiress turned one last time to see Sasuke land a blow at the opponent, turning at the nick of time to clash his chidori into the other's shoulder, sending him flying over and hitting the tree with a thud.

She prayed fervently_, please be safe, Sasuke-san._

Then she left him behind.

* * *

**I apologize for this short chapter. But i've got to keep up the suspense right?:D Anyway, review and favourite! Thanks to all of you who commented on the last chapter, i'm really grateful for all those reviews :) 3 I love you guys, you're the best! 3**


	6. Fluctuated Feelings

"So you really like him"

Hinata almost toppled over, but being the ninja she was, quickly regenerated chakra into the soles of her feet before leaping onto another branch. Miyuki was found atop her back, clinging on for dear life as the female kunoichi rapidly swooped from tree to tree with lightning speed.

No time could be wasted, not when the princess's life was in danger. After leaving Sasuke behind, Hinata's fear kept growing every second, and recollections of his face would flash into her mind at the most surprising moments. She was sure that the cause of it was precisely because of the guilt she felt for having left him behind to deal with the rogues on his own. However, Sasuke wasn't weak; that she knew. He was by far one of the best shinobis in Konoha village, so there was no reason to worry about his safety.

But why was it that her heart quenched ever so **_slightly_** at the mention of his name?

"Miyuki-s-sama, i-It's really not like t-that-"

"Don't try to hide it" Surprisingly, the tone in which the royalty spoke held nothing but a teasing humor, and the heiress wondered briefly if she had hit her head upon something. It wasn't every day that the princess treated her better than dust. She remembered briefly how obvious Miyuki's disdain had been, just because Hinata wasn't a male shinobi.

"It was obvious, you know, even though I said otherwise' the Suna heir continued, oblivious to Hinata's increasing rougeur " You guys just click"

The kunoichi was about to open her mouth and protest against the absurd idea of her and Sasuke being together- she wouldn't live with herself if that ever happened, and couldn't imagine it either- when Sasuke's words echoed in her mind..

_"S-Sasuke-san…I don't understand w-why we have to a-act…" A shy but determined Hinata stood her ground firmly, enabling the young Uchiha avenger to pass. He raised an eyebrow at her confrontation. If it had been any other girl, he would have snorted in their faces and told them it was nothing but acting and that he wouldn't even dare look at them that way. But this was Hinata, the frail and fragile Hinata, that looked like she could break any moment. She reminded him of glass, as clear and transparent was her personality, as she blended with others, but somewhere along her clearless persona; there was something in her that reflected pureness, goodness, innocence….Sasuke didn't want to break that, nor did he want her to think he was just taking advantage of her. Plus, she wouldn't just jump him at any given moment his back was turned, so her presence was much more tolerant. _

_"It will be better for Miyuki's safety. We don't want to attract necessary attention" He grunted, brushing past her. _

_"D-demo!...G-Going to that extent…" He could picture her trembling body. _

_"It's still a mission and I intend to do it right, whatever measures I have to take" _

A sigh escaped the kunoichi's parted lips. Surely, the young avenger was full of surprises lately. _What with his mysterious actions and all._ Her hand unconsciously tingled with the longing of his warm, calloused fingers brushing hers, and she shuddered. _Focus, Hinata! You love Naruto-kun, Naruto-kun only! _

"The way he looks at you, I can tell. He doesn't look at anybody else like that." Miyuki continued.

Hinata chuckled nervously "That's just because I don't fawn over him l-like other girls do, Miyuki-sama"

"That too. Demo, you guys do make a cute couple"

The Hyuuga heiress felt heat rise up to her face again, and was relieved that the Suna princess couldn't see her face right now, for she was sure to be receiving some kind of horrendous teasing of some sort. Deciding to keep quiet about the matter was the wisest option, and she tried thoroughly to clear her mind from the mishaps that could happen to the avenger, her heart aching more and more with guilt and worry, as the distance between them became more apparent.

**_Sasuke-san, don't you dare die on me. _**

* * *

**Meanwhile, back in Konoha...**

"What's this?"

Neji turned to blink at his teammate. Weird that he hadn't felt a twinge of her presence when she wasn't that far off from him. Usually, the Hyuuga prodigy would have been aware years before her arrival. Even the sounds of Tenten's footsteps were familiar to him. The brunette jumped off the branch she had been nesting in and landed two feet away from him, peeking at the piece of paper clutched in his hands. "A letter?"

"From Hinata-sama" Neji replied, his eyes scanning over the neat, cursive writing of his young cousin one more time. His heart was mildly at peace that they have arrived safely in Suna, but this had been two days ago, he hoped and prayed every night for her safety and well-being, and had made a promise to kill Sasuke Uchiha if he dare bring her back dead. Neji and Sasuke weren't the best of friends, yet he was stupid enough to let Hinata- _pure, sweet and innocent Hinata_- go with that jerk. He wanted to slap himself across the head. _Sasuke was someone to be feared, and yet, that foolish girl had accepted the mission_!

His shoulders sagged in defeat. _I know there was something tormenting her, I never asked_, he thought, annoyed at his own forced obliviousness. Tenten shook her head slightly and laid a hand onto his shoulder comfortingly. "She'll be fine, Neji"

The boy turned his head, not even hesitating to think that Tenten's concern for Hinata was sincere, and not just because of him worrying. She was a good-hearted and kind girl behind that bold and rough exterior. Like Hinata, she loved seeing others happy, and the joy that was brought upon them made her smile with warmth. Neji had learned to accept those traits of his teammate long ago; the more he had tried pushing her away, the more she had clung to him like glue. After some months, the kunoichi had broken down his wall, and he found himself even wanting her company. She brought out the best traits of his character in him, and- he hated to admit it- he loved it.

Her hazel orbs reflected the morning rays of sunlight embracing her face, and there was no other word for what Neji's thoughts were trying to process; she looked beautiful with the rising sun casting an angelic glow upon her. He cleared his throat, regaining his sanity. _What am I thinking, _he cursed silently.

"Yeah"

* * *

The two girls watched the setting sun with worried expressions painted on their faces. Hinata had reached the village where they had paused to catch some sleep during the night, but still, there was no trace of Sasuke. _Where could he be?_ Hinata's thoughts bounced back and forth across her head, _please be alright, Sasuke-san._ Miyuki watched the Hyuuga heiress with growing concern, her eyebrows continuously pinching together at the pained look that the older girl was sporting. "He'll be fine, Hinata, stop worrying so much"

Why was she so worried about him and his well-being? Why was she so fidgety when his presence wasn't known? Hinata's brain was formulating every possibility of them getting Sasuke head on to his heart, her eyes almost sensitive to the quelching sound that would be emitted to ad heir his death. It was weird of her to worry over someone that barely had a influence on her or her life, and yet, it almost felt like he could rival with her worry for Kiba, if ever the same happened to her teammate. True, her ability to attach quickly to people was one of the heiress's best traits, but Sasuke? Uchiha Sasuke? However much she put it, it was clear that their relationship had grown from unknown strangers, to aquaintances, to….friends?

_Friend, that's right. Sasuke is my friend, and I'm worried about him. Worried sick. _

"What if something h-happened to him, Miyuki-sama?" Hinata whispered, hating how her voice seemed pathetic and fearful, like one of a terrified mouse.

"He's a ninja" Miyuki scoffed "And he's a pretty skilled one too. It would take someone much more powerful than those dweebs to kill him"

"D-Demo, Miyuki-sama, there are two of t-them…"

"Stop worrying already! He'll be fine, I promise!"

"O-Or, what if they ambushed him, or k-kidnapped him?!" Hinata's already wide eyes were as huge as saucers, concerned tears already making their way down her cheeks "W-What if he was th-their target all along?! Oh no, I should never h-have-"

**_"You're annoying." _**

The soft, baritone, yet raspy voice rang out in Hinata's voice, and it took some seconds to realize that a hand had placed itself upon her head in a calming touch. Her head turned, tear-filled orbs as sparkling as jewels meeting onyx irises as dark as night. Hinata blinked once, twice.

"Y-You're back" She whispered softly, not believing her eyes. "I-I thought-"

"You worry too much" Sasuke grunted, ruffling her hair and seating himself beside her. The Hyuuga heiress blushed at the contact, a small part of her heart longing for that hand to stay there. It felt good and warm against her head. _Stop it_! She quickly shook those thoughts away and wiped the unnecessary tears. Instead, she clenched her cold fingers around her tea mug, the hot texture burning her palm.

Keeping her gaze onto the steaming liquid, Hinata opened her mouth to ask quietly "A-are they…did you k-kill them?"

"Hn." The avenger replied with a single nod. The heiress's lips curved upwards into a soft, comforting smile. Sasuke was back again. _Cold, ruthless, and arrogant Sasuke_. Somehow, she was glad about it. God knows maybe she had started to grow some kind of attachment towards the boy.

Miyuki's eyes were straying from one individual to another; her gaze narrowed into threatening slits "Seriously, you guys are weird"

The young Uchiha quirked a dark, raven brow at her statement. She continued "I know you're not into PDA, Mr.I-'m-too-good-for-anyone-else,but a small kiss would have been welcome"

"I don't owe you anything." The young prodigy bluntly stated, his bored expression intact.

"I wasn't talking about me you baaka!" Miyuki's finger directed at Hinata "You owe your girlfriend at least that much for worrying her senseless!"

The kunoichi instantly stiffened and her face turned beetroot red at the mention of the 'k' word. She laughed nervously "A-Ano, Miyuki-sama, d-don't say t-those things" Her eyes darted towards her companion, panic lodged into the depths of her pupils 'S-Sasuke-san i-isn't comfort-able w-w-with-'

'Urusai." Sasuke interrupted her. She blinked and opened her mouth to apologize profusely for having falsely accused him-in an attempt to save both their asses- when the boy did something surprisingly unlike his character. Bending down, he softly pecked her cheek before returning back to his original position. It happened so quickly that the scalding, burning touch was a lingering dream onto her ear, and she felt her neck heat up slowly, peony pink blossoming over her cheeks like paint would spread over a white cloth.

**_What was t-t-t-t-t-t-t-that for?!_** She screamed mentally, her hands aching to tear out her hair in frustration. Sasuke was becoming weirder and weirder with each passing day!

Miyuki nodded 'that's better"

If the Hyuuga heiress hadn't taken one last look at her partner right then, she surely would have missed the dusty layer of rose that clung to the Uchiha's cheeks, and in the spur of the moment, she giggled softly.

Sasuke's narrowed eyes glared at her amused face, his feature softening as the tinkling melody reached his ears. _How can she be so…so pure?_ His hands clenched "What?" He snapped.

"Nothing" She giggled again, and Sasuke almost cracked a smile of his own. Never was he going to admit the fact that he wanted to hear this laugh for the rest of his life.

* * *

**Heyyyy there! Another update for you guys :) SasuHina omg i was freaking out while writing this chapter *.* thanks for all the reviews, i will update as soon as i can! :D **


	7. Opening up

**very short interlude just to clear up what Hinata thinks of Sasuke. :) Sorry for the short chapter, i promise i'll update as soon as i can, it's just that life's been hectic these past few days :) **

* * *

Another day slowly slipped by without any more interference, and slowly civilization began slipping away, replaced by the wilderness of nature that now surrounded the three travelers. They watched another sunset reflect the different shades of orange that degraded into soft, blue shades, blending into what made the night. Hinata was still not over the fact that the young Uchiha had kissed an area that had never been touched by someone else before, and had avoided any kind of contact that might cause their gazes to clash. The said boy hadn't noticed anything apparently different from Hinata's much more silent and transparent behavior, and she was partially glad that he was a beginner in terms of feelings and understandings. After all, Sasuke didn't strike her as the lovesick type. He reminded her of Neji, which once again, hated the affairs concerning matters of the heart.

On the other hand, nothing similar could be said for Miyuki's actions and comments. She was trying her best to put those two together at the worst of times, and even though the female kunoichi wasn't one to show aggression, the Suna heir was slowly crawling up her temper limit.

Her turn to supervise the premises while the two other slept had finally come, and she was about to accept the role with open arms. She needed that cold, night air to cool her senses down, and the serenity might help her to think and recollect her thoughts.

The patch of skin that had made contact with Sasuke's lips still burned with tingles of electric jolts, prickling with a foregin sensation that Hinata couldn't pin point. It felt frustrating, especially when it was someone that wasn't supposed to hold that important of a role inside her heart. If it had been someone else, like Naruto, she would just have blushed and that's it, done with the stupid infatuated feeling. But this was different.

Actually, she hadlearned to love his weirdly silent traits. He wasn't overly excited and hyperactive about everything but the silence that he beared along in between them wasn't awakrd either. On the contrary, it was anything but. It was a calm and peaceful silence, sometimes broken by her comments on something such as a nice flower. He would just nod his head and sometimes, on really rare occasions, the corner of his lips would tilt upwards in a soft smirk, which she found good in some form of acknowledgement. At least he was responding to what she had to say.

_Is Sasuke much worth than what he actually presents? _

Is he just like all boys under that cold demeanor of his?

She didn't think so.

The Hyuuga Heiresss sighed softly for the millionth time this night, tilting her head up to gaze at the trail of stars spilling over the night like sparkling jewels of silver. She wondered how it felt to be in the princess's place. Being betrothed to a complete stranger was just as horrendous as ending your life. To an extent, the young Hyuuga understood what Miyuki was going through; one day, she too, would be betrothed to a rich prince of a faraway land. It was a sad reality, especially when she was good for nothing else. Hanabi would surely take on the role of the heir while she would just be cast aside like used tissue paper. It hurt but it was the truth.

An unknown tear slipped out from beneath her eyelid, trailing a wet, crystal path down her cheek to her chin, threatening to drip onto her clothes. Was it so bad to want to learn medical justsus instead of fighting? Was it _so bad_ to be weak?

To the Hyuugas, it was.

To the Hyuugas, _power was everything. _

_Okaa-san_…Hinata smiled at the thought of her mother, the pale lavender scent that always enfolded her into soft, warm arms. _Are you happy with what I've become?_ _You are right? You never showed any signs of disappointment…never. _

Something crunched.

Startled, the young female ninja turned around only to recognize a familiar silhouette against the dark shadows casted over by the moon. She instantly relaxed, feeling the weight of her muscles lessen.

"Sasuke-san? W-What are you doing up?"

He sat beside her quietly, and she didn't mind at all that he still hadn't replied her question. Sasuke was a man with a few words, but damn, those words went straight to the point. He would sometime take hours before replying her question but she didn't mind that now. She was used to his silent demeanor, even though it unsettled her at first.

"Aren't you tired?" He finally grunted.

She shook her head, smiling slightly at the ruffled, childish look the boy was sporting. Unlike the usually cold and pokerfaced Sasuke, this side actually seemed…vulnerable, innocent somehow. "No, you should g-go back though, you s-seem sleepy Sasuke-san"

"Sasuke" He stated.

She blinked, confused "eh?"

"Sasuke only. No honorifics needed"

"Oh, um h-hai S-Sasuke-kun" She blushed slightly, and the boy narrowed his eyes at her, silver dark orbs gleaming in the moonlight "Sasuke"

"S-Sasuke" She stuttered. It felt weird to suddenly drop the formalities like they have been long-lost childhood friends. Not even Kiba had the opportunity to let the '-kun' wipe out from his name. She came from a huge, prestigious clan where respect played a vital role in manners of the family. Never had she called someone informally, and the thought of it, even though it wasn't someone with whom she was close to, made her smile slightly, a small curve of her lips. Sasuke watched her from the corner of his eye, judging her subtle happiness from the quirk made upon her lips, and cracked a smirk himself. It was just something that addicted him to this girl's scent. When he had awoken from another horrible nightmare without HInata shaking him awake, he had padded over and followed his nose, sniffing and scenting the perfume ignitied by Hinata's aura.

"S-Sasuke-ku- I mean, Sasuke" Hinata started, not lifting her eyes off the darkness of the night's shadows. "I-I want to ask you s-s-something" she continued in a small, mousey voice.

He instantly detected the change in her tone and straightened, eyes narrowed in case of any threats even though he knew that it wasn't in Hinata's nature to threaten him with whatever. Hinata was a sweet, shy girl that put others- even him he was sure- before herself and her well-being.

Her silence deepened his suspicions. _Something felt wrong_, even the air stilled with tension. "What?" he finally snapped, the hot-tempered feline hidden beneath his lungs finally exploded.

"I-I…a-ano…u-um.." out of habit, her fingers poked each other. She had been used to doing that since childhood and sometimes kept herself occupied in order to stop herself from trembling and running away from what she had to face. It kept her balanced and cool-minded. "W-Why…w-why did y-you….w-why d-did you.."

"Why did I what? Betray the village?" Sasuke's lips spat out the words filled with venom. Unknown fury built in between his ribs, and he tried exhaling long and hard through his nose so as not to lose his cool. _Control, Sasuke, it's a woman. You can't hurt a woman. _

Detecting the mood change, the Hyuuga opted for silence instead of suddenly blurting out something that might offend the Uchiha greatly.

Sasuke finally sighed "I wanted power. I wanted to kill my brother"

Still, nothing came out of Hinata's mouth as she watched the raven-haired boy struggle with his own feelings of betrayal and hurt.

"It didn't bring me anything, revenge"

Silver white orbs snapped up to meet his in mild surprise "W-what do you m-mean?"

"I had nowhere to go after that. I was alone" He put his hands behind his back and made himself comfortable, his face a mixture of pain and grief "That's why I came back"

He snorted 'I owed that Dobe a promise anyway"

A small smile graced her lips. Sasuke was someone to be feared, or that was what she knew from everyone else in the village. However, looking at him now while he was busy watching the stars peacefully like a small boy filled with innocence and inner peace, she could no longer imagine what dark aura or the power-thirsty avenger that had once drowned him in spite, leaving no place for friendship or love. What Sasuke needed was someone to look at him, somebody who cared, someone who would actually love him for whom he was and not that external mask he wore around to please fangirls. That was the reason for his bond with Naruto since the blonde-headed future Hokage was the only one to actually care about Sasuke's well-being.

A bulb lightened in Hinata's mind, Uchiha Sasuke just wanted to be loved.

"Sasuke-kun, Arigatou" She murmured.

Said boy cocked his head to the side and scrutinized her face with a scowl "What?"

"Arigatou…f-for trusting me, for telling m-me all of this" Her smile widened when the faintest of blushes blossomed onto his cheeks while he turned away, trying to play off his aloof attitude. Hinata thanked the heavens for the power of her Byakugan at this instant, for otherwise she wouldn't have gotten a glimpse of the young avenger's embarrassment.

"go to sleep, Hinata" He ordered, not facing her.

"D-Demo, Sasuke-"

"Go sleep"

"A-Ano-"

"Go Sleep."

The tone of finality worked on her, and she sighed in exasperation and defeat. "Hai."


	8. Torn

"Hinata..Hinata!"

the said girls eyelashes fluttered open wearily to be greeted with full view of her comrade's angered face pinched into a frown. The first thought that came to her was ask if she was dead, but then, recollections of last night's events rushed through her mind like a mini-film and she realized that she had slept on her guard duty, leaving Sasuke to stay up instead.

Gasping, she pushed him away and looked around frantically. Her wide, ivory eyes swept over the area and searched for what they had to be protecting since day one of their mission. Fear coiled and sprung inside her stomach when the realization settled upon her like a blast of cold water on a chilly day, freezing her joints and halting her breaths. Her eyes were wide with surprise and shock, and slowly, she munched over the thought that had hit her right in the face.

Miyuki's bag was gone.

It couldn't be!

"She's safe. A group of ninjas took her as hostage." Sasuke's deep and soft velvet baritone calmed down her nerves somewhat, but the word 'ninjas' resonated in her mind, and her eyes widened even more. She could be killed at any second, any time! Danger was lurking ahead for the Suna heir, and this wasn't good news at all!

"We need to find her." The Uchiha threw his thumb over his shoulder "Let's go"

"S-Sasuke, what i-i-if they k-k-kill-" "They won't" Sasuke cut her off with a cold gaze of his "Because they want me"

She stilled in mid-panic, her pearly lavender eyes searching his own onxy orbs, that were filled with foreign swirls of darkness that Hinata couldn't decipher, no matter how much she tried.

"W-what?" she whispered, still in shock. The boy watched her impassively with his lips pressed into a thin, strenuous line as he replied her grudgingly "It's the Akatsuki"

"A-Akatsuki?!" Her mouth fell open. This was bad!

"They're hiding in the east mountains, near the city where the princess is supposed to marry"

"O-Oh, right" Her translucent orbs flickered uncertainly over Sasuke's calm but stoic pokerface, another thought crossing her head. "B-But….h-how do you know all this?"

He grunted. "Hn."

"E-Eh?" She cocked her head. Annoyed, he turned away and mumbled something incoherent, but not enough that her keen ninja ears couldn't pick up "I was scouting the area waiting for you to wake up"

"Y-You could have w-w-woken me up Sasuke-kun!" She gasped, and retracted from the horrid formality "S-Sasuke"

"You were tired" He replied it so simply, yet, there was a rash of red splotched onto his two passive white cheeks that seemed weird present on his usual cold façade of features, and she resisted the urge to smile at the cute way the boy couldn't express his feelings.

Sasuke may be cold, but he's human. Just a human with a little difficulty of expressing what he feels easily.

He cleared his throat "I'm going after them. You have to alert the royals of snow country as fast as possible"

"Nani?!" Her eyes widened in horror "N-no! I'm n-not leaving you here alone, especially when t-they want you!"

"Hinata" Sasuke regarded her with a look of impatience "We have no other choice. You're too weak to fight them"

She winced involuntarily. His words turned into her brain and coiled her stomach into angry twists and turns. Her breath stilled while her muscles froze in realization of what he had just said. It felt like a pang of a shotgun in her gut, and Hinata couldn't breathe anymore. How dare he, How dare he say that to her. Angry tears bubbled up and watered the mist of her retina, and her fists tightened into fists, so hard that she wouldn't be surprised if she drew blood.

But on another hand, Sasuke wasn't being mean, he was just saying the truth.

_The truth was that she was weak. _

Sasuke's heart quenched slightly upon seeing the girl wince. Actually, that was a total lie that blossomed out of his mouth. He wasn't going to let a girl play hero when he could probably finish off the job quicker and more smoothly himself. Why burden Hinata with it? And anyway, he didn't want to come back with a dead comrade and the Hyuuga clan onto his shoulders for assassination or rape, or whatever obscenities they might think of.

"Hinata" He sighed.

"S-Sasuke, I-I know I'm not g-good enough t-to fight them…d-demo…" she flew over to his side so suddenly and pressed her face into his chest while her arms tightened around his waist that the boy staggered back fro the unknown force, eyes wide. For once in his life, Uchiha Sasuke was faced with surprise, an unfamiliar emotion to his usually pokerfaced features. "P-Please be c-c-careful!"

_Careful. Nobody ever told me that,_ he thought dwellingly.

His heart ceased upon feeling her soft, curvaceous body pressed to his, fitting the solid mass of the Uchiha to perfection. If he had been anyone else, he wouldn't have lasted a second before wrapping his own arms around her. But this was Uchiha Sasuke, and this was Hyuuga Hinata. What might the clan think anyway?

What am I talking about? It's not like I'm going to marry Hyuuga Hinata….right?

He never wanted to bond with that woman. He wanted just to be finished with this mission and get back to training. And now? There he was, in the arms of a comrade that seemed to value him and his life, like she would miss him.

_Maybe she would. _

He resisted his move from quirking into a chuckle, but let a smirk pass by his lips as he leaned away and ruffled her hair "Are you underestimating the last Uchiha?"

"N-No! N-Not at all, it's just t-that-" "Baka Teru (I got it), Don't worry so much, Hinata" He cut her off and turned away before he could crumble upon seeing one of her genuine worried faces again that would haunt him during his entire mission.

"H-Hai" She meeped quietly.

"If I'm not there in the palace within two days, send a message to Konoha and alert the royals"

"Hai!"

"Hn." He grunted and started down his own way, ignoring the guilty ache in his heart. He didn't even know if it was an ache, he just felt a foreign feeling that crawled over his heart, and it didn't please him that much.

_Focus, Sasuke. _

* * *

Hinata watched him go, then turned in the direction of the palace, trying not to let her feet twist and turn back the way she had come.

If only she had been more alert, this wouldn't have happened.

Arriving to the snow country, she scurried past the guards and alerted the royals. The king was horrified at the prospect of the Suna Heir being in such danger, and reprimanded her in a very slaverish manner. Not that she didn't deserve it.

"How dare you let your guard down! As a Konoha Ninja, You're supposed to be the best of the best! And what do I see? A freaking kidnapping!" The king roared. The queen lay a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

Hinata flinched. But inside, her thoughts were only drowned with worry for her Uchiha comrade. **_Was he alright? Was he dead right now? Did he succeed? _**

"I-I assure you, y-your majesty that she will be rescued no matter what" HInata tried not stuttering.

"I hope for you and your head!" The king lay back against his high chair and sighed profusedly like a bratty child "Bring this ninja to her quarters immediately! What are you waiting for?!" He barked at some random servants, who quickly scurried away with Hinata in their wake.

_The Hyuuga heiress tried ignoring the small pangs of guilt she felt for abandoning Sasuke._ Please Sasuke, don't die.

* * *

A short chapter filled with some SasuHina. What did you guys think? Yay or nay?:3 my chapters will get longer as time goes by, but i just wanted to cut it off like that for suspense :3 Anyway, sorry for my long absence, i;ve been busy because of Christmas! :D 3 Review and Follow people! :D 3


	9. Foreign Emotions

**Dear Neji nee-sama, **

**I'm alright, well I've arrived safely in the Snow Country. The ones in danger are Miyuki-sama and Sasuke. I'm scared for them, because the Akatsuki captured the princess in order to lure Sasuke in. What should I do nee-san? He said that I should stay at the palace, but I want to help him! I'm so confused Neji-nee, I feel like I'm tearing apart. I pray for both of them, and I hope you do too. **

**Don't worry about me, I'm totally fine. **

**Love, Hinata. **

_Hinata's in trouble?! Akatsuki?!_ Neji's hands crumpled up the paper with iron force, his body shaking in fear. If the Akatsuki laid their hands on Hinata-sama, the secret of the Byakugan would be revealed to them, as well as Hinata's safety. _By god_, he prayed fervently that his small cousin wouldn't get herself into trouble this once, and stay out of it. Quickly bringing up a paper and pen, he quickly scribbled down his reply, ignoring for once, the improper way in which his handwriting flowed. If the Hyuuga clan could see how messy his writing was, they would have reprimanded him and told him off to start again. **But that was a dire case of emergency. **

**Dear Hinata-sama,**

**Please do not go after Sasuke. They might capture you and steal the secret of our bloodline. You wouldn't want to disappoint Hiashi-sama would you? Please, for my sake do not venture into the arms of the predator, it's dangerous and could cost you your life. Sasuke is strong, he will battle through it. I don't want you going there. **

**Be careful and listen to my words for once. **

**Yours faithfully, Neji. **

"Another letter from Hinata?"

He almost jumped out of his skin when a familiar voice rang out in his earshells. Turning, he saw Tenten blinking with a confused expression washing across her face. Without saying a word, the cold Hyuuga nodded and folded the letter carefully. The bun-haired kunoichi approached him with a frown tilting down her eyebrows "What's wrong Neji? Hinata in trouble?"

"No, but she will be if she doesn't listen to my instructions" He replied as he sealed the letter

She blinked "Nante? (Why?)"

"The Akatsuki's after Sasuke. They captured Miyuki as bait"

Her lips formed an O shape and her eyes widened " no way!"

The boy grunted, quite annoyed by this turn of events and inwardly slamming his head against the wall. _You idiotic Hyuuga! How could you have let your cousin go with that Uchiha assassin?! You knew how Sasuke's crazy! And yet…_ he couldn't, wouldn't forgive himself.

Be careful Hinata.

* * *

Hinata sighed for the nth time this day, all the while sitting at her usual place by the window that gave view over the entrance of the palace. She hadn't moved from there since the day of her arrival, that meant yesterday. She accepted their food gratefully (who wouldn't? it was purely exquisite) but stayed rooted there like she had grown actual roots that were buried deeply in the depths of her chair, unabling her from movement. Her hands were in her lap, tingling restelessly or with tiredness, she didn't know which of them it was. Her eyes were filled with only concern for her two friends and she was tired. Tired of waiting for them, the bags sagging under her skin could confirm that. However, she wasn't about to do anything as long as they hadn't returned safely yet, she would make sure of that. If they weren't going to show their heads tomorrow, she decided that she would go after them and ignore no matter what Sasuke had said. After all, _he_ wasn't the one controlling her life, _she did_.

"Hinata-san, would you like some tea?" One of the kind maids asked with a gentle smile, a smile tat the girl returned although it was far from being genuine. Hinata shook her head and replied with a kind tone "Daijoubu (It's alright), a-arigatou (thank you)"

Her pearly white irises scanned the terrain once more, passing through the snow-filled land. Trees were covered with the same ice frosting, and so was the grass that lay underneath. The palace guards were dressed warmly in ice-blue coats that matched the setting perfectly, and they were busy talking to two strangers that seemed to hang off each other…

**_What?! _**

Squinting, she realized with a pang that they weren't strangers at all.

Am I dreaming?

It probably took five seconds for her to realize that nope, what she was seeing was definitely not a dream, and finally, her slackened jaw snapped back up.

Suddenly pushing her chair back with force, she ignored the clattering sound against the wooden floor and dashed quickly down to the open gates, where she got a clear view of the two people she had been worried over the most. Throat tightening and eyes filling with crystalline jewels, she raced to them and threw her arms around them, burying her face in the comforting depths of their clothing. She didn't care if they smelt bad or if they reeked of blood, all she cared was that they were here, safe and sound in her arms. They felt safe, and real.

**_Sasuke and Miyuki-sama. _**

"Alright. I know you love me Hinata, but I'm kind of in a rough patch right now.." Hinata lifted her face to see Miyuki's filled with dirt and scratches. She let go and gasped while her fingertips reached for the scars "W-What happened?"

"Oh nothing. They just beat me up, that's all" Miyuki replied with sarcasm dripping like honey. The Suna Heir gestured towards her arm while wincing, and Hinata saw exactly what she was talking about. A rough and dirty bandage had been wrapped around her elbow, and it hung limply by her side like a rag doll.

"They broke my arm" the princess explained at Hinata's dropping jaw.

"H-How?! I thought they only wanted Sasuke-kun" the shy Hyuuga flitted to her side and started healing her instantly, ignoring the annoyed look sent by the princess.

"Apparently, they missed the fun of their youthful days" The kunoichi had to chuckle, apparently Miyuki's sarcasm was also missed greatly.

"T-there, I fixed it. I-it should be fine now" The female ninja nodded upon seeing the now scar-less face and the healed arm. Her eyes never strayed once from Miyuki's form, and she tried avoiding Sasuke's hot stare at all costs. She could feel him flexing his jaw right at this moment, and prayed that he would leave her alone. It felt weird, because she had wanted to see him alive and well. But now that she did know he wasn't straying near death, she felt self-conscious whenever her gaze would meet his body and butterflies would spiral through her lower abdomen to her stomach. _Was it nervousness? But why?_ She hadn't done anything to upset him or whatever, so she shouldn't feel burdened by him! The last memory of her hugging his waist tightly and feeling his chiseled abs against her face made her blush down to her toes. Now that was embarrassing.

"Well? Please don't feel burdened by my presence. After all, she is your girlfriend' a dusty layer of pink settled onto Hinata's cheeks. She tuned reluctantly in his direction and focused on the creases found in his shirt. "W-Welcome back , S-Sasuke-kun" she gulped at the stupid formality "I-I m-m-mean, S-S-Sasuke"

"Hn." And the boy turned to walk away, leaving the two girls confused and watching his retreating back.

"Hm, strange. And here I thought he looked quite eager to see you again" Miyuki shrugged "The look in his eyes practically screamed 'I love Hinata and want to see her again to smother kisses over her face'"

"M-Miyuki-sama!" said girl reddened.

"What? It's true!"

_Demo,_ Hinata thought with growing concern, _what's wrong with him? _

* * *

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

Hinata's head hesitantly poked through the door of their shared bedroom. Apparently, rumor had spread that those two were lovers and were now forced to share the same bed. Hinata had turned a pretty deep shade of red at that, but a restrained hand of Sasuke's had stopped her from squeaking out her protests about the matter. Whatever it was, the boy wanted their cover safe and without any gaping suspicious holes. If they were to act a couple, then so be it.

She was still hesitant in talking to him, but night had fallen with her having avoiding him everywhere she went. Right now she had to face him. Would he ignore her like he had done all day? Her body was quivering at the thought. One thing was clear, Sasuke was still and always would be an intimidating man to her, whether she liked it or not.

The boy's head lifted, and she tried not making eye contact with his sharingan-filled eyes when she entered the room and closed the door softly behind her. She sat herself down gingerly on one end of the bed and kept her eyes on the patterns swirling across the carpeted floor while speaking to him. "How w-was i-it?"

"Hn. Fine"

"C-Could you…." Her face was filled with naked curiosity "Possibly t-tell me?"

He sighed, and shortly told her what had happened.

_Sasuke had just let Miyuki out when he felt the imprint of a kunai snitch at his arm. Whirling around, he caught another kunai with his deft fingers and turned his eyes towards the incoming opponent. One of the Akatsuki members –his name was still left unknown- hovered over with a hint of a smirk on his lips, which made Sasuke all the more annoyed. Pushing back Miyuki, he charged towards the green-headed boy and those two commenced a heated battle of punches and powers. _

_If he had paid attention to the fight, Sasuke would have dodged the sudden attack that had landed on his right hipbone, tearing through the skin and scorching his insides with hot, acid. The opponent's powers were all due to the acid eating him up, and Sasuke growled menacingly. "What do you want?"_

_"Me?" He had chuckled "I want you, pretty boy" _

_"In your dreams" the last Uchiha snarled before lunging and bursting the opponent's chest with his chidori. _

"S-So, he uses acid?" Hinata's wide eyes were slowly englobing her face.

Sasuke nodded, wincing when she reached over to inspect his wound. Weird to have her icy fingers against his warm skin, the Uchiha growled "What are you doing?"

"I-I can h-heal it. I-If you want" She stuttered, looking away with a blush on her cheeks. He wanted to smile, he really did. And that would have been the first time since the assassination of the Uchiha clan. That girl was just too persistent for her own good. Sometimes, he felt torn between slapping her or kissing her.

_Wait a minute, what? Uchiha Sasuke **did not** want to kiss anyone,_ scratch this from his thoughts. He was probably tired, yeah that's right.

So he just nodded and let her do her work. She used chakra from her body to slowly extricate the hidden poison hidden between the pores of his skin, and apologized profusely when the boy hissed in pain.

Sasuke did not know what to think. His mind was a whirl of foreign emotions that seemed to turn his world upside down with weird fluctuations in his mood. When he saw Hinata's face, he felt like light had exploded behind his eyelids, and his heart stopped. It felt like someone had grasped his windpipe and had him hypnotized with his sharingan, and if it was one of the acid user's effects…then he didn't find it unpleasant in the least. After that came the set of butterflies that cascaded down his stomach in rumbles, coiling and twisting like a rope that had been set loose. Somehow, he found himself entranced by her laugh of joy…_was that weird? _

_What exactly was happening to him? _He hadn't felt anything like this since the beginning of their mission, so why was he suddenly bombarded by all of this? Could it be the fact that he was actually missing Hinata's presence? Of course not, this was utter b.s.

Feeling her fingertips against his skin…fire was pulsing through his veins like lava, and his blood was boiling. And her scent…oh, her sweet-smelling, natural lavender Hinata odor that drew in his nostrils…

He couldn't **_anymore. _**

Grabbing a hold of her shoulder, he pulled her to him with a force so that she crashed against his chest and buried his nose in the depths of her neck while inhaling the blissful perfume that left him lightheaded. Holding her there…it seemed so right. Sasuke wasn't an expert in this field, but he knew enough to know that something felt wrong with him. Totally wrong.

For one, Uchiha Sasuke never smelt anyone.

The female kunoichi was astounded by the Uchiha's actions, and froze when she felt his lips ghosting against the sensitive skin on her neck. The hairs at the back of her hairline stood up on end, and her movements stilled, the chakra in her hands forgotten.

**_W-w-w-w-what is he d-d-d-d-doing?!_** Hinata swore she held her breath, not knowing exactly how to respond to the surprised action he just undertook.

She didn't know how long they stayed like this, and she had almost relaxed in his arms when he forcefully pushed her away violently and turned harshly towards the window, his face as emotionless as opaque glass.

"You stink. Go take a bath" He ordered, his voice muffled against the window pane.

She blinked once, twice. _Pardon? _

But when he turned onto her with an icy scowl, all doubts escaped her mind and she bowed quickly, cheeks flaming "H-Hai!"

_Why did he do that?_ The question still lingered in her confused mind.

* * *

**If you guys hadn't realised, i'm not a big fan of action and more of the fluffy side so sorry about that :3 That's a superlong chappie there x.x took me quite a few hours ...:) Anyway, here it is! The start of Sasuke's doubts and questions xD Review and Follow people! 3 thanks for all the comments 3 **


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